Fallen Ashes
by mischiefmanaged0116
Summary: In an AU universe where Mira Potter is Harry's twin sister, things are going to be drastically different from canon, even if it isn't apparent at first glance. This is the story of Mira's first four years at Hogwarts; it is one of sorrow, suffering, and pain, yet also one of joy, friendship, freedom, and self-discovery. Prequel to the Ashes Trilogy. Rated T (Because I'm paranoid)


_**A/N**_: I finally finished the first chapter of my new story! Hooray! I know this chapter is in need of editing, however, I'm so excited that I finally finished it, that I don't really care. I'm warning you now: updates for this story will be extremely slow, due mainly to lack of time, as well as the fact that I am in the process of moving my RtB fics onto wattpad.

I would like to thank 1 PJO FAN, ArcheressxX, mythologyrox, The 13th Heart, Brackenfern, tanis19, and Rosepink4140 for submitting some amazing title ideas for this fanfiction. The title for this particular story came from Rosepink4140, however, between her submissions and the submissions of mythologyrox, I have decided to rename all of the stories. The Mira Potter fanfiction series, which this is the prequel to, is now renamed the Ashes Trilogy.

_**As for why the prequel is posted first:**_ Originally, Mira Potter's story didn't begin until fifth year, when the storyline really starts to diverge from canon. As I was beginning to write it though, I realized that there were many scenarios that wouldn't make sense to anyone reading it, seeing as they were based on past events. The number of flashbacks that would have been required was insane, so I decided to write and post a prequel first, covering an abbreviated version of the first four years.

Now that's enough rambling...enjoy the chapter, and please review :)

_**Disclaimer**_: I, mischiefmanaged0116, solemnly swear that I do not own Harry Potter. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling. I'm nowhere near that good of a writer. And if I was, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.

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**_Chapter One_**

Mira Potter was extremely quiet for an eleven year old girl. She usually spoke only when she was required to, and even then she spoke in a nearly inaudible voice. Most people who had ever met her had never heard her speak more than a couple of sentences, if anything at all. She never yelled, and she never cried, although that was probably to be expected, considering that over the last ten years, her uncle had beaten it into her (literally) that 'freak children' were to be seen and not heard. However, it wasn't as if she had been seen very often either, considering that she had only been allowed out of the house for several activities, the most frequent of which being school. Sometimes, she wasn't even allowed that.

There had been quite a few times throughout Mira's years of schooling that she had found herself too injured to go to school. Not from falling down the stairs, or falling off a bicycle, like most children. No, it was from the treatment bestowed upon her by her _loving_ relatives. Of course, it was not as if the school knew this. Uncle Vernon, upon enrolling her in primary school, had spun a sob story to the administration and school nurse. His _poor little niece and nephew_, whose parent's were _drunks_ and died in a _car_ _crash_, had been entrusted to the care of Vernon and Petunia Dursley. However, when they had taken the children in, _out of the kindness of their hearts, _the Dursleys had learned that while Harry, although small for his age, was a perfectly healthy child, Mira would always have health problems due to _birth complications._ The administration department had lapped this up, commending Vernon Dursley for being an _upstanding_ _member of society,_ while the nurse had gotten all teary eyed that the Dursleys were so willing to take care of a_ special needs child_. Mira who, even at the tender age of five, knew that the story was a lie, had been surprised to see that Vernon actually had a brain. As she got older, she couldn't convince herself to be too shocked though because by time she had turned ten, she realized there was likely a hint of truth to Vernon's story. Although the biggest health problems Mira had all went by the surname of Dursley, she did get sick more often than the other kids her age, just not as often as her relatives claimed. The story had never been questioned, but Mira contributed that to two things. The first was that she looked sickly; pale, short, and deathly thin, her classmates had taken to calling her 'Casper' or, as the less intelligent preferred, the ever original 'ghost.' The other was another thing Mira hadn't figured out until she was older. It turned out that Dudley's physician happened to be a college classmate of Petunia's...it had been a simple matter to have a doctor's note forged, or at least, it was once a hundred pounds was involved.

So, naturally, Mira was uncomfortable standing on platform nine and three-quarters, where the only person she knew was her twin brother, Harry. It was too loud, and there were too many people crammed into a small space. Mira was hesitant about being there, because once she stepped on that train, there was no going back. Suddenly, Mira realized there already wasn't any going back, even if she turned around now and walked off the platform, everything still would have changed. From the very moment Hagrid and the letters arrived there was no turning back. And it was at that moment that Mira knew that the other emotion she was feeling, the one she had never felt before, was hope. Hope that maybe going to Hogwarts would be different, and maybe she would make friends and go ten months without being afraid.

That thought was then squashed by the realistic part of her brain. Yes, Hogwarts would most likely be different than primary school, but that didn't mean she would miraculously find friends and all her fears would disappear. It just wasn't going to happen, and hoping for it would just make it hurt more when it didn't. Mira had learned at a young age that wishing for things fell under the same category as getting attached: painful and heartbreaking. She was just glad that Harry hadn't learned that; he had always been friendlier and more outgoing than she had. His personality coupled with his fame guaranteed that Harry would have no problem making friends. It was Mira that was likely to end up alone and friendless.

"Mira? Earth to Mira?" Harry was waving a hand in front of her face. Mira shook her head, trying to banish her thoughts. She supposed she had been so absorbed, that she hadn't realized her twin had been trying to get her attention. He looked really nervous, and Mira wasn't sure if it was apprehension about going to Hogwarts, or worrying about her, or both. "We should get our stuff on the train, it leaves in five minutes." Mira looked at the clock and was surprised to notice that Harry was right. She nodded her agreement, slightly sheepish that she had lost track of time so badly. They made their way over to the shining train, and then they attempted to load the trunks onto the train. Not for the first time, Mira cursed the fact that she was so tiny.

"Need a hand there?" A voice said cheerily from behind Mira. She jumped and, in the process, dropped the trunk, which landed on Harry's foot. The red-haired twin who had snuck up behind Mira snorted.

"Ouch." Harry grumbled. Mira gave him an apologetic look.

"I'll take that as a yes then." The twin said with a broad grin. "Oy, Fred! C'mere and help." Mira saw the other twin, who was talking to a boy with dreadlocks, turn and come towards them. "These first years are in need of our assistance. Help me with this trunk, then we'll come back for the other." Fred nodded and helped his twin, whose name Mira couldn't remember, take first Harry's trunk, and then Mira's trunk and put them in an empty compartment. The second trip, Mira and Harry followed the red-headed twins, and brought their pets into the compartment. Harry had a beautiful Snowy Owl named Hedwig and Mira had a Russian Blue kitten named Belladonna. Mira and Harry turned around to face the other set of twins, who were studying them.

"Thanks." Harry said in a relieved tone.

"We're glad to be of service." Fred and his twin said in unison with a mock bow. Mira smiled and Harry scratched his head. As he did that, Mira saw the bangs on his forehead shift, allowing a glimpse of the famous lightning bolt scar. Apparently the others saw it too because when Mira turned back to face them, the two boys were looking at Harry in surprise.

"Are you?"

"He is, isn't he?"

"Who?" Mira asked softly. If anyone was surprised to hear her speak, they didn't show it.

"Harry Potter, of course." The twins chorused. Harry blushed.

"Oh, him...I mean, yeah, I am." He stuttered. "And this is Mira, my twin."

"Hi." Mira gave a small wave.

"Another set of twins." Fred mused.

"Excellent!" His twin said. "We're-"

"Fred, George, where have you gotten too now?" A shrill voice called from the platform. Mira noticed Fred and his twin that she now knew to be George both roll their eyes.

"Third years, and she still smothers us." George muttered. "Well, see you later, Potters!" With that, Mira watched Fred and George disappear, only to reappear on the platform a moment later. Harry sat down and leaned back, getting ready to eavesdrop on the conversation. Mira went over to her trunk.

"I'm going to go change into my robes." Mira said quietly. Harry nodded distractedly as he continued to listen to the conversation going on outside. Mira rolled her eyes at her brother's eavesdropping, but didn't say a word, seeing as she could be just as bad at times.

As she was walking around, she realized that she had no idea where to find the bathroom. She just stood there for a few moments, trying to decide what to do. She didn't necessarily want to ask an older student, nor did she want to just wander around aimlessly until she found it. Mira wondered if maybe she could follow someone, but then she would seem like a stalker.

"Are you in need of assistance, milady?" A familiar voice called from behind her. It was George, accompanied by his brother Fred and another red-haired child. Mira nodded, biting her lip hesitantly.

"Well? Ask away." Fred said with a mischievous smile.

"If I ask you for directions, will you try to convince me there's a pool on top of the train?" Mira questioned suspiciously, yet softly. Dudley and his gang had done that to the younger kids all of the time, and Mira wasn't about to let it happen to her. Although they seemed nice enough, they also seemed slightly devious. She wouldn't put it past them to try it in good fun, but the twins looked surprised.

"We actually hadn't thought of that." Fred spoke again.

"But we'll have to try it later on an ickle firstie." George added.

"You're safe though, don't worry." Mira thought that watching the two of them talk was like trying to watch a tennis match.

"Is there a lavatory on the train?" She asked shyly. The twins nodded in unison. Mira thought that was kind of creepy, but chose not to say anything.

"Continue down the hall-"

"-for about...six meters I suppose-"

"-it should be on the left-"

"-and don't walk into the men's loo on accident." Fred finished with a wise piece of advice. "Oh, and this is our brother-"

"-Ron Weasley, first year." George finished. "I'm George, and that ugly git is my twin Fred. We're third years."

"Mira Potter." She spoke directly to Ron, seeing as the twins both knew her already. Besides, talking to them was starting to give her a headache.

"I'm going into the compartment." Ron mumbled and walked into the compartment Mira had just exited. The Weasley twins took this as their cue to keep talking.

"Sorry about him-"

"-his manners are horrible, they are." Mira shook her head.

"It's fine. I'm just, um, going to go change." She managed to get out. "Thanks."

"No problem-" Fred started.

"-anytime you need a hand-" George continued.

"-just come find us!" They finished together, before entering Ron and Harry's compartment. Mira stood there, trying to get over the shock of that conversation, before following the twins' directions. What was it they had said..? Down the hallway for about six meters, it would be on the-

Mira slammed into someone who was walking in the opposite direction, and promptly found herself on the carpeted pathway. Unwillingly, her mind flashed back to all the times she had found herself on the ground at the Dursleys, cowering before her relatives...

"I-I'm s-sorry." A boy was standing in front of her, an apology written all over his face. Mira studied him hesitantly. He looked to be about her age, yet that seemed to be all they had in common, at least physically. His dark blonde hair was a shade darker than dirty blonde, but not quite dark enough to be considered brown, which was a sharp difference to Mira's fiery colored hair. His face was round, almost baby-like, which was a stark contrast to her sharply defined face. Mira had emerald eyes that she shared with her brother, but the boy in front of her had bright blue eyes with a hint of green. He seemed to notice that Mira was studying him and, face flushing, he offered her a hand. She took it and as soon as she was standing, he dropped her hand. "Are you o-okay?"

Mira nodded. "I'm fine."

"That's good." The boy said with a sigh of relief. "I-I'm Neville Longbottom, first year."

"Mira Potter, first year."

"Really?" Neville seemed surprised. Mira nodded. "U-um, you haven't seen a-a toad anywhere, have you?" She shook her head. "Oh, okay." Neville said dejectedly, moving to walk away. "My gran's going to kill me."

"Wait." Mira said suddenly. Neville turned around to face her, a desperate look on his face. "If you want, I'll help you look for your toad after I change."

His face brightened noticeably. "Really?" Mira nodded. "Thanks!" The two of them started walking in the direction Mira had been going in before the collision. "Is the lavatory far?" He asked her after a few seconds. She thought Neville seemed a bit fidgety, but attributed it to his missing toad.

"No, it should be right..." Mira looked to her left. "...here." There were two doors, one that said witches and one that said wizards. Mira moved towards the one that said witches, but turned back to Neville for a moment first. "I'll be right back." He nodded, and she entered.

It was small, which was exactly what she had expected. She fleetingly entertained herself with the thought of a huge lavatory onboard a train, realizing that it was most likely possible because of magic, before getting changed into her robes. While doing so, she took a minute to examine the couple of scars and bruises on her stomach and back, pausing to press a finger to a few to see how sore they still were. With a wince, she realized that they were in fact still quite sore, and most likely would be for several more days. Mira finished pulling on her robes, tied her hair back, and emerged from the lavatory...only to find Neville wasn't there. Her heart sank. She had liked Neville; he had seemed nice, if a bit shy. She hadn't thought he was like the kids in primary school, but it seemed she had been wrong. Mira sighed and bit her lip, wondering what to do now.

"Have you been waiting long?" Someone said anxiously. Mira turned around, only to see that it was Neville. She smiled and shook her head. "I-I had to use the loo, a-and since you were still in there I-"

Mira cut off his rambling. "It's okay Neville." He relaxed and gave her a nervous smile back. "So where should we start looking?"

"Well, maybe we should go back to the compartment I put my stuff in. There was another girl in there, so maybe we could ask her to help?" Neville's voice was hesitant, as if he was uncomfortable with sharing his opinion. Mira nodded. The more people they had looking, the greater the chance of finding the toad.

"Does it have a name?" Mira asked softly.

"Trevor. My Uncle Algie gave him to me when I got accepted to Hogwarts. It came as a surprise." Neville said sadly. Mira looked at him curiously. Getting her Hogwarts letter was probably the best thing that ever happened to her.

"My family are all purebloods, but everyone thought I was a squib." Neville explained, as if that explained everything, which to anyone wizard-raised, it probably did. But Mira had no idea what a 'pureblood' or a 'squib' was. She furrowed her brow, trying to figure it out. Being a squib was obviously a bad thing, at least in the eyes of a pureblood, but that didn't help her at all.

"I think gran would've disowned me if I was a squib." He added, causing Mira to bite her lip in frustration. Neville probably thought he was explaining himself better, but he was just confusing her even more. "What about you?"

"I grew up with...muggles?" At Neville's dawning look of comprehension, Mira figured she had managed to remember the term Hagrid had used. Suddenly, Neville groaned.

"You had no idea what I was talking about, did you?" Neville asked with a searching look. Something on Mira's face must have given her away, because he groaned again. "I'm s-sorry, I d-didn't think..." She noticed that he seemed to stutter only when he was nervous.

"Can you just explain the basics to me?" Mira asked quietly. She didn't want to make him feel worse about his mistake; Uncle Vernon did that to her all of the time. Her and Harry had both vowed to never treat people the way he did, no matter how different those people were.

"Okay." Neville said, sounding relieved. "I guess I'll start with Hogwarts then." Mira nodded with a bit more enthusiasm than she had previously. She had wanted to buy some books about Hogwarts in Flourish and Blotts, but Hagrid had rushed them through quickly. They had barely been in there long enough to pick up the bare minimum, and then they were out the door. Mira had to admit though, a book probably would not help her much. It was always better when someone took the time to explain something to her, not that many people ever had.

"Hogwarts was founded about a thousand years ago, I think. Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, and Salazar Slytherin were the four founders, and those are the four houses: Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin." Neville furrowed his brow, as if trying to remember something he had heard long ago. "All of the founders had a different trait that they wanted their students to possess. So every student that comes to the school gets sorted into the house of the founder whose prized trait they have the most of. I don't know how they do it though, Gran wouldn't tell me. I think she hopes that by not telling me, I'll end up in Gryffindor."

Mira gave him a curious look. He sighed. "Gryffindor is the house of the brave. Both of my parents were in Gryffindor, and my gran always says I'm a disappointment compared to my dad. She says I'll be a Hufflepuff, which is the hard-working and loyal house." She wondered what was wrong with that; wasn't it good to be loyal and hardworking? "Ravenclaw would be acceptable to her I guess, any of them except for Slytherin, really."

Neville looked at her confused look and grimaced. "Ravenclaws are known for being intelligent, so I can rule that one out. Slytherins...well they're technically known for their cunning and ambition, but..." He looked around to make sure no one around them was paying attention before continuing in a softer voice. "most of You-Know-Who's followers came from Slytherin. My gran says they're all evil and I should stay away from them." Mira and Neville were quiet for several moments after that, while Mira processed everything she had just been told. Neville seemed to be lost in his own thoughts as well, so Mira was perfectly content to just walk in silence. Silence was easy. It was safe.

Mira was so wrapped up in her thoughts, that it came as a surprise when Neville stopped in front of a compartment door. He gave her a nervous half-smile before opening it. There was only one other person in the compartment, so Mira felt safe assuming that it was the girl Neville had been talking about. The girl had bushy brown hair, which was pushed behind her ears so that she could see the words in the book she was reading. She looked up the moment they walked in, her brown eyes boring into Neville.

"Oh, hello Neville. I must say I wasn't expecting you back so quickly. When you said you were going to walk around, I figured you would be talking and getting into trouble like most boys. Did you meet anyone that's our age while you were walking around? I'd really like to know some people before we get to Hogwarts, especially some of the older students. It would be great to know someone just in case we ever needed help with homework." She rattled off quickly, before catching sight of Mira. "Who's this? Did you meet her as you were walking? Is she our age? Oh, I'm being terribly rude, aren't I? I'm Hermione Granger, and I'll be a first year. And you are?" Hermione addressed the last question towards Mira, studying her with a tilted head. Mira nervously took a step back, making no move to answer Hermione's onslaught of questions.

"Her name's Mira Potter. She's a first year." Neville said after a couple of moments of silence. Hermione's eyes seemed to light up.

"Are you related to Harry Potter?" She asked excitedly. Mira nodded hesitantly. "Oh, I've read all about him, you know. He's mentioned in several books." Mira just stared at her.

"Does...does she talk?" Hermione asked uncomfortably after several moments.

"Yes." Mira said softly. Hermione gave her an embarrassed glance, but Mira ignored it. She was used to people asking if she was mute, or dumb, or almost anything else along those lines. It was just something that she had to get used to when since she barely spoke to anyone. It wasn't as if anyone had ever wanted to hear what she had to say though, besides Harry and the Irvines. She supposed her parents had cared too, but they had been dead for the last ten years.

"Mira offered to help me look for my toad." Neville told Hermione in an effort to break up the tension. Hermione sighed. "You mean you haven't found him yet?"

"No." Neville said sadly.

"Well let's go look for him then." She said impatiently. "Let's split up."

Mira bit her lip. That meant she would have to talk to a lot of people, many of them older than her. She had already said more today than she had on any day she could remember; most likely the most since her parents had been killed. And while talking to people hadn't been that bad, it didn't mean that she was comfortable with it.

"Can't we stay together?" Neville asked hesitantly. "I mean, there are lots of older students on the train...won't they make fun of us?"

"Neville." Hermione said condescendingly, making Mira internally cringe. She saw Neville look downward sadly, as if resigning himself to something.

"I agree with Neville." Mira said suddenly, surprising the other two. Neville's face brightened, but Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Fine, if the two of you are so nervous about it, then walk around together. I'll start at this end of the train; the two of you should walk down to the other end." Hermione said in a bossy voice. Mira and Neville stood there for a moment, just staring at her, until she dismissed them with an impatient hand wave. The two first years exchanged a look before walking out of the compartment. Neither said a word until they were far away from Hermione.

"Well she's a bit scary, isn't she?" Neville asked with a nervous laugh. Mira nodded with a small smile. The two walked in a relatively comfortable silence, only speaking when they started looking into compartments for Trevor the toad.

This continued until Neville stopped in front of one of the compartments. He turned around and smiled slightly at her. "That's your brother, right?" Mira nodded.

Harry and the other boy (what was his name? He was Fred and George's brother...Ren? Don? Ray?) were both sitting and talking about something seemingly serious, but stopped as soon as Neville opened the door.

"Hullo th- Mira, is that you?" Mira nodded and then ducked her head. "And you've made a friend?" Harry continued with surprise, looking towards Neville.

"Umm...hi." Neville said after a glance towards Mira. "I-I'm Neville Longbottom." Harry studied him for a moment, before smiling.

"I'm Harry Potter, and this is Ron Weasley. It's nice to meet you, Neville." Harry said politely.

"You too. Have you seen a toad around, by any chance?" Neville asked with a sigh.

"Nope." Ron said after a second.

"No, sorry. I'm sure he'll turn up though." Harry told Neville apologetically.

"I hope so..." Neville trailed off. He scratched his head. "I should probably keep looking for him." Mira nodded.

"You can stay here if you want, Mira." Harry blurted out suddenly. Mira bit her lip. Neville was looking away, as if expecting her to leave him, and even though she would normally stay with her brother, she couldn't bear to leave Neville alone. She hadn't realized it until that moment, but Neville reminded her a lot of herself, only with more hopeful innocence, like he still believed in the good of the world, while she had lost that belief long ago. And that realization scared Mira. She didn't want him to end up like her.

"I'll stay with Neville." Mira said, decision made. She knew it was the right one when she saw the look of surprise on Harry's face, and the amazed look on Neville's. All of a sudden, it all set in. She was on her way to a magic school with her brother, they weren't going to see the Dursley's for ten months, and she had already made a friend. At least, she thought she had. She didn't know if she had ever felt so joyful and light in her entire life.

So Mira Potter did something very unusual. She smiled. She really, truly, smiled.

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So, don't forget to review! Constructive Critisicm welcome, but please no flames.


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